1879 in New Zealand:

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Contents 1 Incumbents 1.1 Regal and Vice Regal 1.2 Government and law 1.3 Opposition Leaders 1.4 Main centre leaders 2 Events 3 Arts and literature 3.1 Music 4 Appointments and awards 5 Sport 5.1 Athletics 5.2 Chess 5.3 Cricket 5.4 Golf 5.5 Horse racing 5.6 Rowing 5.7 Rugby Union 5.8 Shooting 5.9 Tennis 6 References 7 Births 8 Deaths 9 See also

Incumbents

Regal and Vice Regal

• Head of State - Queen Victoria
• Governor – The term of The Marquess of Normanby ends on 21 February. Sir Hercules Robinson takes up the appointment on 27 March.

Government and law

The general election is held between 15 August and 1 September. The 7th Parliament commences.

• Speaker of the House - Maurice O'Rorke becomes Speaker when his predecessor, Sir William Fitzherbert, is appointed to the Legislative Council.
• Premier – John Hall replaces Sir George Grey on 8 October.
• Minister of Finance – John Hall replaces Sir George Grey on 8 October. Grey had taken up the post on 10 July after John Ballance had resigned on 1 July.
• Chief Justice - Hon Sir James Prendergast

Voting rights are extended to all males. ^[1]

The term of parliament is reduced from five years to three years. ^[1]

Opposition Leaders

See: Category:New Zealand Parliament , New Zealand elections

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - Thomas Peacock
• Mayor of Hamilton - John Blair Whyte then Thomas Dawson
• Mayor of Wellington - Joseph Dransfield then George Allen
• Mayor of Christchurch - Henry Thomson then Charles Thomas Ick
• Mayor of Dunedin - Henry John Walter

Events

• 21 February: An explosion in the coal mine at Kaitangata kills 34 men. ^[2]
• 30 March: The Ross Guardian ceases publication. It began in 1866.^[3]

Arts and literature

Music

Appointments and awards

See: Category:Civil awards and decorations of New Zealand

• Archbishop of New Zealand
• Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia , see appointments to Diocese

Sport

Athletics

Chess

• First New Zealand Chess Championship held.

Cricket

Golf

Horse racing

• New Zealand Cup winner: Chancellor
• New Zealand Derby winner: Hornby
• Auckland Cup winner: Ariel
• Wellington Cup winner: Maritana

see also Category:New Zealand horse races.

Rowing

Rugby Union

Canterbury forms the first union in the country at Timaru on 26 July. The Wellington union is formed in October.^[4]

Shooting

Ballinger Belt: Corporal W. Ballinger (Wellington)

Tennis

References

1. ^ ^{a b} New Zealand Parliament - Parliament timeline
2. ^ nzhistory.net.nz
3. ^ "HOKITIKA. March 31", North Otago Times (1 April 1879), pp. 2. 
4. ^ Todd, S. (1976) Sporting Records of New Zealand. Auckland: Moa Publications

• Romanos, J. (2001) New Zealand Sporting Records and Lists. Auckland: Hodder Moa Beckett.

Births

• 30 August (in London): Maud Ruby "Daisy" Basham, radio personality.

• Miriam Cummings (later Miriam Soljak), activist.

Deaths

• 2 February (in England): General Sir Thomas Pratt, commander British forces in NZ 1860-61.
• 14 July: Thomas Outhwaite, first registrar of the Supreme Court.

See also

• List of years in New Zealand
• Timeline of New Zealand history
• History of New Zealand
• Military history of New Zealand
• Timeline of environmental history of New Zealand
• Timeline of New Zealand's links with Antarctica

For world events and topics in 1879 not specifically related to New Zealand see: 1879